Blood chemistry and hematology of gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups from birth to postweaning.

Serum and plasma samples were collected from 92 gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups, all less than 5 wk old, and from 21 yearlings during the breeding season at the Isle of May, Firth of Forth, Scotland, for hematologic and clinical chemistry analysis. In the pups, total WBC, total protein, and glucose values increased until weaning and declined during the postweaning fast. Liver enzymes, particularly alkaline phosphatase, were high at birth and decreased steadily with age, most rapidly during the postweaning fast. In the yearlings, total WBC, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and rectal temperatures were significantly higher than in the pups and glucose levels were significantly lower. Therefore, consideration should be given to the growth phase of gray seal pups (lactation or postweaning fast) or stage of development when hematology and clinical chemistries are used for diagnostic purposes.     

The efficacy of used engine oil against ticks on cattle

The study was conducted in a peri-urban agricultural system at Botshabelo, a city in the south-eastern Free State. A questionnaire survey revealed that 88.5% of cattle farmers in the area experienced problems related to ticks and tick-borne diseases. Because of the cost of commercial acaricides the Botshabelo farmers use alternative, cheaper methods of tick control, including the application of used engine oil. The specific aim of the study was to determine whether used engine oil can effectively control ticks on cattle. From March to August 1996 the tick burdens of ten control animals and six animals treated by their owner with used engine oil were compared. The total tick burdens for the 6 month period differed significantly between the two experimental groups. The efficacy of the used engine oil on the treated group varied between 15.1% and 64.8% with a mean of 38.1%. Although commercial acaricides can be more cost-effective, the application of used engine oil can be useful to reduce tick numbers on cattle during periods of peak abundance. Another advantage in that the use of the oil will not influence existing endemic stability of Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bigemina infections because of the residual tick burdens after treatment.     

Clinical natural history of the postsurgical cruciate deficient canine stifle joint: year 1

The aims of this prospective study were to investigate the associations and correlations between individual clinical features of osteoarthritis of the cruciate deficient stifle joint and to document the temporal changes in these features over a 13-month period following surgical treatment. Fifty-eight dogs with osteoarthritis of the stifle joint, secondary to cranial cruciate ligament deficiency, were examined before surgical treatment for cruciate deficiency and at one and a half, seven and 13 months after surgery. At each visit, clinical features were graded using four-point, discontinuous, ordinal grading (Likert) scales and intra-articular pathology was also scored in a similar fashion at arthrotomy. No attempt was made to construct an aggregate score because the relative importance of different disease features and the relationships between them were not understood at the time of writing. At entry, the relationships between background and disease variables and clinical parameters were investigated as well as the relationships between clinical parameters and intra-articular pathology scores. Longitudinal analysis was performed to test for those features which showed significant change over the 13-month follow-up period. At entry, periarticular thickening and degree of crepitus were significantly correlated with disease duration. Several features showed significant change over the study period. Notably, the degree of quadriceps atrophy showed significant decrease from baseline scores at seven and 13 months while remaining different from normal, suggesting that a measure of quadriceps atrophy may be a useful measure of long-term outcome in this disease.     

Isolation of Mycobacterium species from raw milk of pastoral cattle of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

A study to determine the secretion of Mycobacterium spp. in milk from indigenous cattle was carried out in pastoral cattle reared in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. The study was aimed at elucidating the dangers associated with milk-borne zoonoses in a society where milk is normally consumed raw. Out of 805 milk samples, 31 (3.9%) were positive for mycobacteria. There was a preponderance of atypical mycobacteria (87%) whereas only two isolates (6.5%) were confirmed as M. bovis. Atypical mycobacteria included: M. terrae (n=7), M. fortuitum (n=2), M. flavescens (n=13), M. gordonae (n=1) and M. smegmatis (n=4). Although the number of M. bovis positive samples was low, the habit of pooling milk may still pose great public health dangers to milk consumers in this part of the world. Moreover, isolation of atypical mycobacteria should also be considered to be a danger to human health in countries such as Tanzania, where the number of people with lowered immunity due to HIV infection is on the increase.